All Blacks winger Zac Guildford is unlikely to be fit to face Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final this weekend but captain Richie McCaw will play at Eden Park, assistant coach Steve Hansen said on Thursday.
Guildford, who sustained a hamstring injury in training, had in any case been an unlikely starter despite scoring four tries in New Zealand’s 79-15 victory over Canada.
“Zac is very unlikely to be available to play,” Hansen told reporters at the team hotel in Takapuna. “He got scanned last night and he’s got a very, very small tear and we can’t see that coming right. But we’ll have to see.”
Cory Jane and Richard Kahui are likely to start on the wings against Argentina with Sonny Bill Williams offering cover across the outside backline from the bench. The team will be announced on Friday.
Better news for a host nation still reeling from the loss of flyhalf Dan Carter to injury for the rest of the tournament was that talismanic captain McCaw would be able to play despite a sore foot.
“He’s great,” Hansen said. “He’s going to play on Sunday.
“We’re down to the business end and whilst we’re still in the tournament he’ll be available.
“We’re just going to have to make sure we do what we’ve done with him all year and what he’s done at the (Canterbury) Crusaders and that’s manage it.”
The flanker, who won his 100th cap against France in New Zealand’s third pool match, has been troubled by foot injuries for much of the season and missed the start of the Super rugby campaign after having surgery on a stress fracture.
McCaw, who has twice been named in the starting line-up in this tournament only to be later withdrawn, had also been protected in training.
“He’s done plenty of training,” he said. “We don’t get him involved in the cleanout for example, the physical, hard body contact stuff. He does other training, it’s fine.
“People are going to have little niggles, it’s just how big a threshold you’ve got for that pain.”
Hansen said that scrumhalf Piri Weepu might be handed the goalkicking duties instead of Colin Slade, who is likely to start at flyhalf in Carter’s absence.
“I think it’s a toss up between him and Piri,” he said. “Both of them are very, very good kickers.”
Hansen also said Weepu’s ability to kick goals might give him the edge over Andy Ellis and Jimmy Cowan when it came down to selecting the starting scrumhalf.
“Certainly it gives him another tool in his toolbox and when you’re selecting a side and you’ve got one guy that is very good at that and another guy who’s very good but doesn’t have that extra tool, clearly you’re going to go for the guy who has the extra tool in the toolbox,” he said.
Hansen dismissed the idea that the loss of Carter, who holds the record for the most test points scored, might cost New Zealand their shot at the World Cup.
“We won’t lose the World Cup because Dan Carter’s not playing, we’ll lose it because we haven’t played well enough,” he said.